What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Curly green finger's]

Vile weather today, squally rain and windy. Bees are still flying - the economically short distance from the hives to a big flowering cabbage palm (this is it in better weather - it smells amazing) over the fence next door - all of 30 feet. There's a steady stream of bees back and forth despite the conditions.
View attachment 40145

That looks nice where are you in the Bahamas’s dandelions here

 

[JamezF]

C'est la vie!

C'est la pluie?

James

 

[Anduril]

C'est la pluie?

James

As long as it's not the Weather Girls doing the forecast, otherwise it will be raining men.

 

[Aneebe]

Collecting water, presumably. But I wonder for what porpoise?

James

Salts from the soil perhaps?

 

[Cuckmere couple]

fed a swarm

 

[Moobee]

That looks nice where are you in the Bahamas’s dandelions here

Near the Witterings in West Sussex. Our house is a stone’s throw from the beach. When it’s nice it’s lovely. Can be a bit brutal in the winter.

 

[Moobee]

Mad, I feel your pain, but am reassured that its not just me . grafts success was crap over 2 rounds, and queen like you, has refused to lay up the nicot cage. Gone for a few walk away splits, but for further queen rearing, will wait until weather gets better I think

Had one round of zero success grafting. This one looks slightly more promising but I’m not holding my breath. I might just be rubbish at grafting…..
Next thing to try is cell punching - might be easier..

 

[Swarm]

Moved one nuc into a full hive and shook out two failed mating nucs in front of an earlier successful one, it was quite cold and they didn't hang about, all inside sharpish.

 

[Just Steve]

3 hives and 6 nucs at home and all need feeding! So much for a spring crop.

 

[madasafish]

Well it's raining today/ and 13C.
Q refusing to lay in Nicot cage..gave them a lot more feed and another 24 hours and then give up.
Cannot switch Cloake Board hive around - no point as no bees flying..

And I get certain people telling us Q rearing is easy... not with current weather and temperatures

Well today was a little warmer. Yesterday when I looked at the Nicot cage I could see no eggs so I left it in teh hive without the guard on. Today when I looked I was sure I could see something but my eyesight close up is getting worse and it is a gray day and shaded. So I put on my Optivisor magnifying thingie (2.5X) with torch and lots of upright eggs.(!!)
And when I checked the Cloake Board hive I had managed to get the queen in the bottom box where she belonged..

And it was 15C! But now raining again.

It's small successes like this that make beekeeping enjoyable..

 

[Cuckmere couple]

washed suit

 

[Antipodes]

That looks nice where are you in the Bahamas’s dandelions here

Apparently they did actually come down from the tropics into New Zealand about 15 million years ago. They were quite popular here in the 1970s, but aren't seen as much now. One near me seemed pointlessly cut to the ground in recent years and I was disappointed, but now it's sprouting up nicely from where it was cut. They are a very tough and adaptable tree

 

[steve1958]

Inspections has been a bit hit and miss recently due to the weather.
Checked my wbc colony today (last inspection 9 days ago).
No Queen, no eggs or young brood.
I did see her last inspection.
2 Queen cells evident, both in the centre of the same frame.
Plenty of bees in the hive.
This is probably the calmest colony I have ever had so I'm hoping to get a good Queen from it.

 

[The Poot]

Checked that my new queen had been released. She had. Will check for eggs in a few days…

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

washed suit

In the apiary?

 

[emoclewbee]

Placed clearer boards on the hives today.
Windy, and no nectar coming in, so all a bit foul tempered.
Spring crop is going to be small this year but at least I will get something

 

[Moobee]

Apparently they did actually come down from the tropics into New Zealand about 15 million years ago. They were quite popular here in the 1970s, but aren't seen as much now. One near me seemed pointlessly cut to the ground in recent years and I was disappointed, but now it's sprouting up nicely from where it was cut. They are a very tough and adaptable tree

Pretty much every garden here has at least one and the smell of the flowers is amazing.

 

[Do224]

3 hives and 6 nucs at home and all need feeding! So much for a spring crop.

Have the hives filled supers but then eaten it, or never even expanded beyond the brood box?

I have a couple that haven’t made it beyond the brood box yet…

 

[thorn]

Cursed. I did a demaree last week. Went back today to knock down queen cells, to find that somehow, after marking the queen I put her in the wrong box.

 

[JamezF]

Cursed. I did a demaree last week. Went back today to knock down queen cells, to find that somehow, after marking the queen I put her in the wrong box.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt

James